Hydroxamic acid derivatives containing an amidobenzoic moiety are disclosed in EP 901465 as potential medicaments with anti-inflammatory and immuno-suppressive activity, ascribable to the inhibition of the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, in particular Tumour Necrosis Factor and interleukin-1-beta.
Said derivatives are represented by the following general formula (I)
wherein    R′ is hydrogen or (C1-4)alkyl;    A is adamantyl or a mono-, bi- or tricyclic residue, which can optionally be partially or completely unsaturated, contain one or more heteroatoms selected from the group consisting of N, S or O, and optionally substituted with hydroxy, alkanoyloxy, primary, secondary or tertiary amino, amino(C14)alkyl, mono- or di-(C1-4)alkyl-amino(C1-4)alkyl, halogen, (C14)alkyl, tri(C1-4)alkylammonium-(C14)alkyl;     is a 1 to 5 carbon atoms chain optionally containing a double bond or a NR′ group wherein R′ is as defined above;    R is hydrogen or phenyl;    X is an oxygen atom or a NR′ group wherein R′ is either as defined above or absent;    r and m are independently 0, 1 or 2;    B is a phenylene or a cyclohexylene ring;    Y is hydroxy or an amino(C1-5)alkyl chain optionally interrupted by an oxygen atom;with the proviso that a tricyclic group as defined for A is fluorenyl only when, at the same time, X is different from Ol and Y is different from hydroxy, unless said fluorenyl is substituted with a tri(C14)alkylammonium(C14)alkyl group.
Preferred compounds of formula (I) are those in which R′ is hydrogen, A is optionally substituted phenyl or 1- or 2-naphthyl, cyclohexyl, 1- or 2-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthyl, adamantyl, quinolinyl, isoquinolinyl, 1- or 2-indenyl, tetrahydroquinolinyl, tetrahydroisoquinolinyl.
Most preferred are the compounds (I) in which A is phenyl or 1- or 2-naphthyl, R is phenyl when A is phenyl or is hydrogen when A is 1- or 2-naphthyl.
Said compounds can be prepared according to methods disclosed in EP 901465, herein incorporated by reference.